


A Reluctant Romance

by meowgicmage (queerfindings)



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Cassandra Pentaghast Can Not Flirt, F/M, Fluff, Post-War, Romance, The Winter Palace (Dragon Age)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2018-11-05 01:12:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11002872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queerfindings/pseuds/meowgicmage
Summary: She rolled her eyes, but their knees rested together under the table, and her stomach was where her heart was supposed to be, and her heart was pounding a tattoo beat in her throat.Cassandra has not seen her companions in two years. The flirting, the warmth in the pit of her stomach, any lingering whispers of fantasy about the large qunari she spent so much time with, are gone. She leads the Seekers once more. There is little time for such frivolous thoughts. One summons from the Inquisition, a letter from her dear friend, and many miles later, suddenly she is thrust back into her old stomping grounds. And the way the Iron Bull gravitates right back to her holds some disturbing implications. Like the fact that this might not just be banter anymore, for either of them.





	1. Chapter 1

A warm breeze caressed the back of her neck and snaked around her body, armored though it was. Her boots tapped against the marble as she found a place at the viewing balcony and stared out over the rolling hills in front of her. Lush green painted the world as far as the eye could see, cut through by neat lines of the vineyards, and the occasional house. After so long in the mountains she would certainly have to adjust to the warmer climate once more.

“Well, look what the Inquisition dragged in.” Cassandra jumped a little. Strange, how just a voice could make the day suddenly warm. She turned with a quirk of her mouth that unfolded into a smile as she looked up at the Iron Bull- a novelty at six foot two. “If it isn't my gal, the Seeker.” If it was possible he was larger than she remembered off hand, though leaner and harder if she allowed her gaze to linger. Sunlight glinted off the arcs of his horns and traced the square lines of his face.

“How have you been? I feel as if it has been much longer than two years.” She shifted from foot to foot. Small talk? Among friends? A hum of displeasure escaped her. Bull just grinned and shrugged with a creak of leather as his chest strap struggled against the broad motion. 

“We've been all over the place. Glad to be back with everyone though. It's nice. Some I've missed more than others…but we have a good thing here, with the Inquisition.” He leaned on the balcony railing beside her. Cassandra chewed the inside of her cheek and studied the fertile landscape laid out in front of them. The Iron Bull made the same study of her. “You look good. Kill any dragons without me? I'll be hurt if you say yes.” 

“Hardly,” she scoffed. “I've been too busy with the Order. Chasing my own tail, it feels like, at times. But if it is what is required of me, so be it.” 

“I think you've gotten more serious,” he decided. 

“Yes, well, we cannot all exhibit a wanton disregard for order and rules.”

“Lavellan does, and d’you know what that makes her?”

“A pain in my neck.”

“Fun,” he corrected. She sneered, but it twisted too quickly into a smile. Maker how she'd missed bickering with someone. No, not someone. Him. She choked a little on that thought and hastily squashed it down as she took a step back to regain her composure. 

“I have to go!” She was not fleeing, she told herself firmly, Seekers did not flee they made a strategic withdrawal to regroup. She was not fleeing. 

That night she came to the small tavern to meet with everyone together for the first time in two years. She always felt naked without her armor, but Lavellan had refused to take no for an answer and threatened to sic her wife on her, which Sera responded to by cackling and making vaguely sinister snipping motions with her fingers. And so it was that Cassandra approached the table in a simple blouse and snug leather breeches. Krem noticed her and waved her over to their end, where he surrendered his chair at Bull’s left side. 

“Keepin’ your seat warm for you,” he said with a wink as he elbowed in between two of the Chargers on a bench at the next table. 

“Nice of you to join us. We're trying to get Cullen drunk enough for another round of Wicked Grace.” He leaned in with a conspiratorial tone. 

“Let the man have his dignity.” She rolled her eyes, but their knees rested together under the table, and her stomach was where her heart was supposed to be, and her heart was pounding a tattoo beat in her throat. She took a hasty slug of ale to steel her nerves. 

“I would, but Josephine won that off him too.”

Once she was finished choking, and he was finished laughing about it, Cassandra glowered at him as she dragged the back of her hand over her mouth. He responded with that winning grin of his and wiggled his eyebrows at her. 

“Oh come on Cassie, I know there's a sense of humor under all that- well I'll be damned you're not wearing your armor- you know what I mean.” He winked at her, hard as that was to tell with the eye patch, and looked her up and down again. She made a disgusted noise and folded her arms. In this company, she couldn't even pretend to be in a bad mood. Everyone talked at once, it seemed, stories overlapping with laughter and jokes. Something bittersweet twisted in her chest. This was her family. 

The advisors were the first to excuse themselves, as they had an early morning. Little by little the crowd dwindled as the night wore on. Cassandra, having been talked into something of a drinking contest with Lavellan, set her glass down once more and put her head in her hands. 

“Y’win yet, Shiny?” Sera mumbled across the table where she had her head in her arms. She tugged at the other elf’s arm and whined. “Let's go to bed! Don't even care if we do it but I'm tired, yeah.”

“Dunno,” Lavellan replied with only a hint of a slur. She rocked a little where she sat. “Did I win?”

“Did you?” Cassandra squinted at her. 

“Did…I?” They collapsed into giggles. Cassandra tilted sideways into Bull, still laughing. He put an arm around her to steady her with a chuckle. 

“You're both going to lose if you don't stop,” he intervened. “Let's call this one a tie.”

“You are so smart,” Cassandra nodded as she stared up at him. Lavellan too had an expression that he'd just suggested something deeply meaningful. 

“You take yours an’ I'll take mine and we'll meet up for breakfast…ugh my head…maybe lunch,” Sera stood to address a spot over his left shoulder. She was swaying a little on her feet. When her wife put an arm over her shoulder they could be tracked for several minutes after by their laughter and the noise of a pot breaking. 

“Who's no fun now,” Cassandra challenged past a giggle. Bull still had his arm over her shoulders. He was so warm, she'd nearly forgotten, how could she ever stop thinking about how small she felt tucked under his arm. “I…am tons of fun.”

“I don't think the Chief is convinced,” one of the Chargers called out. “Maybe you should show h-”

“Alright let's get you to bed!” The Iron Bull pulled her to her feet and kept a guiding arm around her waist as they hustled out, to wolf whistles and drunken cheering from the rest of that table. The minute walking was required it became apparent how much she actually needed his help, but she was flush and happy and it just made her giggle. She looped an arm around his trim waist and held onto him. 

“One thing about…the place…where we are, is so pretty at night,” she commented. “Very romantic.”

“Yeah, I seem to recall someone telling me you had a soft spot for stuff like that.” He steered them around a corner and paused to get her water from one of the drinking fountains with the steel cup he usually kept on his belt. “Flowers, candlelight, poetry, all that. At first, I thought Va- my source- was pulling my leg.” She took the cup from him and focused on not spilling. A portion slopped over her lips anyway, and she sighed. Bull just chuckled and wiped a few drops off her chin. 

“Who wouldn't want to be swept away,” she sighed wistfully. “But that…that's so hard…it is hard when you intimidate any man you look at!” Bull pulled her to her feet once more and they continued on. 

“Aw buck up, you just need to find someone who thinks that's attractive.” They stopped at the door to her quarters. Cassandra reached up to cup his face and pulled him into a kiss that slightly missed the mark. He lined their mouths up properly, but the kiss was far too short for her liking before he straightened once more. 

“Don't let me take that back tomorrow morning,” she whispered, though she wasn't sure if she was talking to him, or herself. Instead, she used the doorframe for support and opened the door. “Good night Bull.”

“Yeah, night Cassandra.” He inclined his head to her and made his way back down the path. 

Cassandra woke the next morning with a split head, dry mouth and an acute awareness of every choice that lead her to this point. As she shuffled to the wash basin to splash some water on her face she wondered if it was too late to run for the mountains once more, to pretend she had never gotten the summons to the Winter Palace. 

By the time she was fully dressed and headed out for breakfast she very nearly shook in her boots. Tell him you were drunk, a small voice coaxed. Bull and the Chargers were missing from the tavern. She exhaled, weak-kneed. Cassandra Pentaghast is no coward, a second thought bothered her. Cassandra Pentaghast faces her fears. Cassandra Pentaghast discusses her feelings and reactions! Cassandra Pentaghast saw the Iron Bull wander in with Krem and Dalish, and froze like a scared rabbit. 

She faced forward, squared her shoulders, and ignored the flush creeping up her neck. Acting like a goose never got anyone anywhere but trouble. She cleared her head once more. 

“Seeker!” She managed to repress the startle that jumped up her spine and turned to face the messenger, who stopped several feet short of her with a wary look. What her expression must look like… “I apologize for intruding on your morning but Inquisitor Lavellan wishes to speak with you.” 

“Thank the Maker,” she muttered, then addressed him and sent him forward with word that she would be there shortly. When she turned to plan her escape route, she was relieved to see they had already settled at a table. It was simple to get past them, almost too simple, and she stopped a few steps away with her stomach twisting. Cassandra turned on her heel to stalk back. 

“Thank you for getting me home last night,” she bit out. 

“Of course! You'll have to have a drink with us again some time.” Bull grinned at her where he sprawled in a wide chair, and lifted the goblet in his hand. Maybe he didn't remember…she suppressed the thought, mouth thin. The glint in his eye said he knew everything. 

“Ah…yes. Some time.” She inclined her head to him and turned to head for the palace.


	2. Chapter 2

When she went to get her whetstone, there was something wrapped around the little oilskin package. She sheathed her dagger to pull the envelope free and tilted its contents into her palm. A leather necklace with flat pewter beads and, upon closer inspection, small dragon charms. She looked around, went to her doorway to peer out even though she knew whoever it was had long since vanished. She almost tucked it inside her shirt, thought better of it, and afterward, she could not stop smiling whenever the light hit it. 

Cassandra was completely ready to write it off as a fluke, unwilling to get her hopes up for nothing. Friends gave gifts to friends. There was no intimacy there. Perhaps he hadn't wanted to embarrass her in front of anyone. Never mind where she'd found the necklace. Nor that she had never expressed an interest in jewelry to any of her companions…except the one. The one who had the damning implication she wanted to be courted, thanks to the damned dwarf. 

“If you glare any harder at that thing it might burst into flames.” She looked up from the book she'd been trying to read with little success for the past hour. 

“If that worked, Varric would not still be with us,” she muttered and rubbed her forehead. Lavellan burst out laughing and shook her head. 

“What's bothering you?” She planted her ass in the chair next to her and propped her feet on the next chair over. 

“Have you ever misinterpreted something?”

“A dalish elf in the middle of Orlesian politics? Never.” She grinned at Cassandra. “Sure I have. Biggest mistake I made was overthinking everything. Made it so much worse, tripping all over myself trying to fix it, when I should have just asked. Well...or let Josie handle it...”

Cassandra sighed heavily and leaned into her elbows on the table as well. One of the many things she appreciated about her friend was that she didn't push. Lavellan let them sit in silence and tilted her head back to bask in a strip of sunlight. She hummed a little.

“That's pretty.” Cassandra realized she was fiddling with the necklace and dropped it. “Are those little dragons?”

“What if this is not something you can just ask about,” she blurted out. “What if…you make a fool of yourself?” 

“What if you don't?” Lavellan countered with a Cheshire smile as she hopped up. “Better yet, what if you're both fools?” 

“Thank you. That was…helpful.” 

“You're the only one here who seems to think so, but I'm here for you.” Lavellan clapped her on the back in passing. 

Days passed in a flurry of activity. The talks were not going well for the Inquisition, but she only caught snippets here and there. It was at once a relief and an annoyance to not be obligated to attend the court alongside Lavellan. Still, she was obliged to attend the social gatherings and did so more to present a front for her organization than out of any love for vapid socialization. 

Cassandra dressed that evening and nearly missed the difference in her uniform, except as she swung her jacket on there was a whiff of something sweet. Upon searching, she found a kerchief tucked in her inner pocket. As she unfolded it three or four crystal grace flowers tumbled into her palm along with a small scrap of paper. 

*Look on your desk*

She bolted for the why and spotted a small lacquer box. Inside nestled a crystalline bottle of perfume, scented with the small white flowers she held in her other hand. 

*I think about you when I see these*

A flush crept up her spine, chased by a helpless thrill of emotion she had no idea what to do with after so long convincing herself this was not his intention. She dabbed a bit of perfume on her wrists and throat, and tucked the kerchief back into her pocket. 

The world was just turning to dusk as they congregated in one of the private gardens. She spotted the Iron Bull across a path and waved a little. He joined her after a moment, and speech deserted her. 

“You always look so natural in these things,” he commented, and tugged at the collar of his formal jacket. “I don't know how you manage it.”

“I could ask the same of you.” 

“Pardon?” 

“Nothing.” She sighed and reached up to undo his very top button, then tucked the collar into its folds to form a neat vee at the hollow of his throat. “There, is that better?” Out of habit she smoothed the front of his jacket as well and stood back to inspect him, though inspection quickly melted into admiration. He knew how to wear the uniform, that was certain. Shoulders square, hands clasped behind his back, he presented quite the respectable front. She wanted to drape herself around him like a scarf. 

“Much better,” he agreed. “You smell nice. New perfume?” She pressed her lips together and faced the garden once more. 

“Thank you, it was a gift.”

“Oh? Someone sweet on you?” He asked, innocently enough, if it weren't for the unrepentant grin on his face. If that was how he wanted to play the game, so be it. 

“Perhaps. Though I can not imagine who. It is probably Sera tormenting me again.”

“Oh, I'm sure you're beatin’ em off with a stick. That charming personality? Those legs?” She huffed at him and he chuckled. “So what if someone was sweet on you?”

“He's…doing an unconventional job of it, that's for sure,” she replied. At last, a flicker of uncertainty on his face. She ran her fingers along her collar, and his eyes found the line of the necklace in following the movement. She smiled as Lavellan gave her a polite wave where she stood next to Josephine. “It is refreshing to be treated as a woman and not just the Seeker.” With that, she excused herself to join the Inquisitor. Her heart pumped with elation. When she glanced his direction again he was still watching her.


	3. Chapter 3

“Pardon me, Lady Cassandra, but I was instructed to give you this.” The servant at her elbow handed over a small wrapped package, and while he tried to slink away once more she caught him by the elbow. 

“By whom?” To his credit, he hardly stuttered at all in his reply. 

“Forgive me but he did not give me a name.” Her eyes narrowed, but she let him go in favor of unwrapping her latest gift. A selection of chocolates in a small box. She slipped one into her mouth absently as she read the note that accompanied it. A burst of heat bloomed in her mouth, immediately tempered by the bittersweet dark chocolate. A little hum of enjoyment escaped her.

_I hope you did not scare the boy too badly. I’m not through courting you just yet, Lady Cassandra. Patience, darling, all in due time. For now, sweets for my sweetheart._

“You utterly ridiculous man,” she laughed under her breath as she tucked the note in a pocket. 

“Oughtta tell my wifey to recruit that lad.” She jumped with a gasp and whirled on her heel to find Sera leaning over the small half wall of the courtyard with a smirk on her face. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Nothin’, just he faced down Seeker Broodybritches in all her scary glory and didn’t give up nothin. That’s talent, it is.”

“Is there no one else to bother?” 

“Not ‘til later. So! Someone sure charmed the pants off you. I’m just sore it wasn’t me, you’re well fit. Who’s the lucky guy? Or lady, I guess, if you managed to unknot your knickers.” She cackled and hopped up on the wall to swing her legs over. Cassandra gritted her teeth and put the box away as well. She opened her mouth to tell Sera it was none of her business, and promptly a better idea occurred. She smiled instead, which made the grin drop from Sera’s face. 

“Wot’s that look for…I don’t like it!” 

“Come now. This will be fun.” 

“Like…your definition of fun or mine? Coz I feel like we don’t see eye to eye on that.” 

“It involves a great deal of skulking, I can think of no one better. We are going to surprise someone.” Sera brightened a little and jumped down to bow deeply. 

“Aw yeah! Let’s get’em!” 

The next time she saw the Iron Bull was in the tavern that evening. He had two feet of dragon horn in his hands and was passing it around the Chargers with the closest thing to reverence she’d ever seen on any of the motley crew. She made sure it was a perfect specimen, and paid handsomely for it, but the stars in his eyes were worth it. She took a seat beside Lavellan and watched him from the corner of her vision. Warmth bloomed in her chest. He caught her looking and she ducked her head quickly. Sera bounced half up on the table to shout across the room. 

“What’s that you got Bull- aw shit that’s cherry! Somebody must like you a lot!” 

“Sera!” Cassandra hissed between her teeth. “Get. Off. The. Table.” 

“Hush up, he don’t know it’s you.” She bounded out of her seat to go admire the dragon horn. Lavellan watched her go with amusement and patted the mortified Seeker on the back. 

“Please leash your wife,” Cassandra begged.

“Tried. Can’t,” came the sympathetic response. 

Cassandra woke and stepped outside to a veritable sea of flowers. She stopped in her doorway, overwhelmed by the wash of color, and a startled laugh barked out of her. Roses of every size and color crowded each other in simple vases to perfume the morning air. Already two passing noblewomen eyed the grand display with envious eyes and whispered behind their fans as they rounded the corner. She began to hunt through the roses for the note she knew was there. Each scrap of paper expounded upon his favorite parts of her. The way she laughed with her whole body. Her eyes. Her mouth. Her legs. The time he’d watched her take on a Venatori unarmed and come out victorious. How kind she was. Finally, she neared the end, and here was what she expected.

_There’s a rose for every time I've thought about you. You really outdid me with the dragon horn, I HAD to do something grand after that._

“What am I going to do with all of these?” She sighed to herself, a fond smile on her lips as she lifted a rose from one of the bouquets to take in the warm scent there. The last rose she discovered was an actual plant in a pot, a lovely shade of crimson with silver touching the insides. Here there was another note. 

_Come to your favorite places to seek a reward._

Her heart thundered in her ears. Was this the end of the game? A sudden helpless panic descended on her. Now that she had a proper suitor, exactly as she’d dreamed, she had no idea what to do. It seemed childish to hope for so much. There was no time to play the damsel, no inclination to be a fainting maiden…and Bull didn’t want that, she realized. The Iron Bull seemed to appreciate her finer qualities and at once recognize how to treat her like a lady without making her feel compromised. A sigh drifted through her. She read the final invitation once more. Her favorite places…

Her first stop was the cafe, where Lavellan flagged her down from a table by the entrance. Breakfast waited for her, four eggs with buttered toast to sop up the creamy yolks, sausage, and strong Antivan coffee. Her favorite meal. A smile graced her mouth as she greeted them and dug in. Lavellan and Sera both wore wide grins, but refused to say more than she would find four gifts waiting for her. Once she was finished there it was to the temporary office occupied by the advisers. A rather pink-cheeked Cullen handed her a tin of ointment to ease aching joints and a pair of supple leather gloves. The morning meetings they had held in the chill of Skyhold, she always rubbed at sore hands and wrists. While the Winter Palace was marginally more temperate the mornings still gave her trouble. She muttered some thanks under her breath, already on to the next stop. It had to be Leliana’s roost. 

“You are giddy as a milkmaid,” her friend laughed as she saw Cassandra. “I’m sure I have no idea who it is that has you in such a state…but he did leave something with me.” A small, perfect statue of Andraste in smooth marble. 

“A companion for the road…mine broke in the Arbor Wilds…” Something closed her throat. She ran the pad of her thumb across Her face. 

“I am happy for you,” Leliana murmured, and squeezed her shoulder. “You deserve someone who will take care of you, as much as you take care of everyone else.”

Finally, it was the armory and blacksmith. A grimy apprentice pressed a small bundle of oilcloth into her hands on his way past to do his master’s bidding. A necklace with half of a dragon’s tooth. She sensed there was something special for this to be the last gift. Second to last, rather, there was one more stop where she so frequently watched the sunset over lush hills. Was it fear or anticipation that lead her onward. She found her steps faltering on the steps. The sun drew closer to the horizon, she’d spent a full day chasing her tail across the sprawling estate. Contentment settled over her. She squared her shoulders and pressed onward.

Cassandra stepped onto her private terrace and caught her breath. A small table set out with a dinner service. Rose petals. And Bull, standing with a book in his hand, dressed sharply in the formal attire she liked so much. 

“Oh good, you found me.” A grin broke across his face.

“You know me…” She choked a little on her words. “You know me so intimately.”

“Well yeah, I like you,” came the reply with a casual shrug. Cassandra crossed the courtyard in long strides and kissed him hard. 

“I apologize. That was forward.” She pulled back, but he just grinned and pulled out a chair for her. 

“Never let it be said I protested a beautiful woman planting one on me.”

Dinner was perfect. No one bothered them, there was no audience, and it allowed her to relax into the evening. For once they had little to talk about, though it was not uncomfortable. She regarded him over the rim of her wine glass as he leaned in finally. 

“Are you feeling properly courted, Lady Cassandra?” 

“Cass,” she whispered. “Just for you.” His smile widened, settled in his surety he had her. When he reached across the table she took his hand without thought. The Iron Bull pulled her to her feet and reeled her in once more. Soft strains of music drifted from the gardens behind them, nobles at a party oblivious to the couple beyond. Cassandra let him lead her in a slow waltz around the last fingers of dying light. Gloom swept in around them as they slowed. She rested her head on his chest, reducing their movement to swaying, but allowing her to wrap her arms around him. 

“You make me feel wonderful,” she sighed, and looked up at him. “Was all this necessary? The grand gestures? The notes, the flowers…I have never been treated like this.” 

“I know.” Cassandra’s lip quivered. He tilted her face to meet his in a kiss so gentle it broke her heart. “It was what you needed. I’m good like that, giving people what they need,” he murmured. “The necklace with the dragon’s tooth…Qunari don’t exactly have traditional relationships, but when we’re serious about someone that’s it. We’re two halves of the same tooth. If you’ll have me.” 

“Well I can hardly refuse now,” a wobbling laugh broke free. She fumbled the little package out and lifted the necklace on trembling hands to place it over her head. “Of course I will have you. You are all I’ve wanted.” Bull just chuckled and pulled her in for another kiss.


End file.
